A changing of the guard

Warriors beat writer Danny Emerman shares his thoughts on the NBA offseason and beyond

Steph Curry’s boundless 3-point audacity changed the point guard position. Ushering in a new ilk of shoot-first, geometry-shifting guards like Trae Young and Damian Lillard, Curry and his 3-point revolution helped make the traditional point guard extinct (Chris Paul: the last of his kind).

The next frontier is here, and it might just leave players like Curry behind.

There are essentially 30 primary creators — one on each team. Players like Luka Doncic may not be considered point guards, but they bring the ball up most often and dictate offense in the half court. Based on some quick back-of-the-napkin math, Curry is one of just 12 lead playmakers 6-foot-3 or shorter.

That’s right: Nearly a third of the league has jumbo-sized lead playmakers.

With the emphasis on shooting 3s, teams have adjusted by trying to get as much size and versatility on the court. Defensively, teams want to switch as much as they can to close out on shooters around the arc.

That leaves smaller players inherently vulnerable to mismatches. The defending champion Celtics, for instance, feasted on opposing slighter guards like Tyler Herro, Kyrie Irving, Andrew Nembhard, and Darius Garland. Boston is the model: Their starting lineup has no one shorter than 6-foot-4, and even backcourt mates Derrick White and Jrue Holiday are capable of posting up or otherwise attacking mismatches.

The trend is going to continue. Jalen Brunson (fifth place) was the last “small” guard — 6-foot-3 or shorter — to finish in the top-five in MVP voting since Curry in 2020-21. Reed Sheppard, Rob Dillingham and Devin Carter were the only “small” guards selected in the 2024 NBA Draft lottery.